Gov. Deval Patrick says Vicki Kennedy told him she is not interested in running for or temporarily occupying the vacant seat of her late husband, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
While family members have privately said Vicki Kennedy wasn’t interested in the position, Patrick made it official, effectively removing the senator’s widow from the whirl of speculation surrounding the vacant seat. It remained unclear whether other Kennedy family members were interested in the seat, or whether Sen. Kennedy had broached the subject with family members prior to his death.
Patrick made the comment about Vicki Kennedy at a State House press conference where he set Jan. 19 as the date for a special election to elect a person to serve out Kennedy’s term and reiterated his support for legislation that would give him the power to appoint someone to the post in the interim.
“Massachusetts needs two voices in the US Senate anytime, but particularly now,” Patrick said, referencing upcoming votes in Washington on health care, climate change, and education.
Beacon Hill legislative leaders have scheduled a hearing for next week on legislation that would give Patrick the power to appoint an interim senator. The governor of Massachusetts previously had that power, but lost it when Sen. John Kerry was running for president and Democratic lawmakers on Beacon Hill feared then-Republican Gov. Mitt Romney might appoint a Republican to replace Kerry if he won the election.
Patrick said Kerry and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have both urged him to expedite the appointment of someone to fill Kennedy’s seat. The governor said Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Robert DeLeo have open minds about the legislation allowing him to make an interim appointment and are moving as quickly as possible, “consistent with success.” He said it is not a certainty that the bill will pass.
Patrick declined to comment on who he might appoint to the Senate seat if the Legislature gives him that power, but said he would seek personal assurances that the person would not run in the election. He said the whole process of dealing with the vacant Senate seat was bothersome. “I don’t need this headache,” he said.
Secretary of State William Galvin said the primary and special election to fill Kennedy’s seat will cost the state approximately $5 million. In a brief interview outside the State House, he expressed concern about where that money will come from with the state strapped for cash.
